G'day all,
Excuse the tardiness of my JBR but I have only just got my internet back..
This trip was special to me as I have not seen my old man for quite a few years and I was meeting him there with his partner.
Departed Perth on the 11th November' 09 flying Garuda, I have flown Garuda on several occasions and they did not disappoint again this time!
Service second to none, very responsive to requests (which led to me getting quite boozy on the binnies).
Arrived into Bali at 8pm and my bag was one of the first off so off I went to enjoy trip # 15 to the island of the gods.
The Haven Suites is down an alley of Double 6 Road, Seminyak. I headed to reception to experience the only negative of my holiday. One thing my travel agent failed to mention & they failed to advertise is that they charge 300,000 a night "security" which you get back when you check out. Now for me it wasn't really an issue as the old man put it on his credit card for me, however if there were travellers with little spending money, This could be a major disappointment for their holiday so just a friendly word of warning :)
I was shown to my room which was a One Bedroom Haven Suite and might I say WOW! This is the nicest accommodation I have experienced out of my 14 other times to Bali. 2x Plasmas, Bathroom lovely ( a few negative reports regarding water on the floor from the shower but I did not have an issue). I think the best was having a full size fridge so you could stock up on coke, water, beers etc and not be stuck for room.
Not too long after I checked in the old man and partner arrived and we went out to catch up. A few longneck binnies down at Cafe 66 and we were ready for bed.
As I have dribbled a fair bit already, let me break down the rest of the trip for you.
ACCOMMODATION
Haven Suites - Could not fault at all besides not having a pool bar, Breaky was great from pastries, cereal, indo dishes & westerner dishes as well as an egg station where the eggs were cooked to your liking.
NIGHTLIFE
As the old man is getting on a bit now, we only had one big night out which was at
OCEANS 27 - located behind the Discovery Mall opp Waterbom Park - Awesome layout, they had several events over the Oct - Jan period titled "We Love Beach Parties" with international DJ's & stage and dance floor being the lovely Kuta beach. We were lucky DJ Sasha was playing that night and it was absolutely amazing, we were dancing in the rain as the music hit its peak. To see a 53 year old dance around like a teenager, you cant put that in to words!
EATS:
Billys Bar: Garlic Lane, Legian - Billy's is AWESOME. Big servings of Western food. Food isn't the best in Bali but the Atmosphere is what makes this place special. Jack and the gang make you feel welcome and always love to have a joke, great service. A few years back I went with a group of friends. The night before they said they might have their bday drinks at Billys and when we all arrived, they had closed off a bit of the bar and made a big banner with my mates name on it. Absolutely fantastic!
Rumours, Seminyak: We took a wrong turn one night and ended up this way of Seminyak, I am glad we did as the Lamb Shanks are to die for. Very Very busy here..
Zanzibar: End of Double 6 Road, Seminyak - This place was awesome! Reasonable priced food & Massive Servings. I got a Reef and Beef which was like back in Perth for 10 bucks! You just have to laugh sometimes, especially where the pub down the road charges 40!
Sky Garden: Worlds biggest menu! So many choices - VERY Western
Cafe Seminyak: Had to change my order 3 times as they didnt have the ingredients required for the meals I requested a bit disappointing
SHOPPING:
Nothing to report here really as I did most of my shopping at the Surf Shops. I bought a dinki di Rip Curl watch over there for $220AUD which seems like a lot but when I looked in a Surf Shop back in Perth the same watch was $300 so a bargain none the less.
I did go and see Yanthi down in Garlic Lane who is fixed price and bought some nice shorts for 80,000 ea and some things for the mrs.
Saw the boys at Aladdin Shoes down Poppies 2 to get my Tiger's, They look after you there so I look after them. I worked out I was paying 20 bucks for a pair of Tigers and Dad got some skate shoes which are comfy for his tiring feet for 25. You could get them cheaper but we were happy with the service and they were happy with their additional tip.
There is also some homeware shops in Legian street which is ideal for some gifts eg Massage packs etc.
WATERBOM PARK : Was closed for maintenance last time I was there so it was nice to get back there this time. Took one of my girl friends as she had never been before. As I am 25 now the excitement of going down the slides is fading and we only went for 3 hours but was still nice to laze down the lazy river a few times ;)
Rate was 8750 for most of the trip, Bali looking busy like before the bombings which was great to see. It is always sad when you go to pay your respects at the memorial. Thoughts go out to all the families & friends who lost their loved ones RIP
I hope you enjoyed my JBR, sorry its a bit late but if you have any questions about my trip, please feel free to ask.
Cheers,
Chris